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Movies: Opening this week — 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' 'Alice' sequel, more

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published 11:00 p.m. CT May 25, 2016

Johnny Depp (left) is the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasikowska (center) is Alice and Helena Bonham Carter is the Red Queen in “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”(Photo: Staff)

'X-Men: Apocalypse'

When the bad guy's name is synonymous with the end of the world, you know it's not going to be an easy day at the office.

The mutants in 'X-Men: Apocalypse' find themselves squaring off against the 'first' mutant, named Apocalypse, an immortal who has been worshipped as a god for centuries and accompanied by four almost-as-powerful extra-powered types (a.k.a. the Four Horsemen).

Turns out A-poc (Oscar Isaac) is bent on rebuilding the world from scratch. So Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and his sister, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), try to find a way to stop Apocalypse and his minions, including Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Psylocke (Olivia Munn, Aaron Rodgers' significant other).

The third movie in this rebooted version of the 'X-Men' series, directed again by Bryan Singer, is getting middling reviews — in part because it's the third big superhero vs. superhero movie of the year and, like 'Batman v. Superman' and 'Captain America: Civil War,' it's sometimes hard to keep track of explosion of characters amid all the explosions.

'The movie is scattered in whether it wants to focus on the old kids like Xavier and Mystique, or go all-in with the rookie class, led by Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), whose eyes shoot some serious laser blasts, and the telekinetic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner),' USA TODAY's Brian Truitt wrote in his 2-star review. '...Even at two and a half hours, there's not enough screen time for the jam-packed ensemble, so Apocalypse's minions Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn) and Angel (Ben Hardy) unfortunately get shorted.'

'X-Men: Apocalypse' is rated PG-13 for violence, brief language and some suggestive images. It runs for 145 minutes.

This time, in addition to squaring off against the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), Alice and friends are in a race against Time — played by Sacha Baron Cohen — in the hopes of saving the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) before he dies of a broken heart.

Most of the 2010 movie's cast returned for the sequel, including Anne Hathaway as the White Queen and, in his final speaking role, Alan Rickman as the voice of the Blue Caterpillar.

So far, reviews for 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' have been mixed. Entertainment Weekly critic Leah Greenblatt gave it a B-minus, despite some strong performances and 'the overwhelming CGI lushness of it all.' 'We can still lose ourselves in the extraordinary 'unpossible' of Lewis' imagination — but 'Looking's' story, and our emotional engagement, stay behind the glass,' Greenblatt wrote.

'Alice Through the Looking Glass' is rated PG for fantasy action and some language. It runs for 113 minutes.

'The Lobster'

In the vaguely future world of 'The Lobster,' single people have 45 days to find a mate. If they don't, they're turned into an animal of their choosing.

It's hard to believe this isn't already a reality show.

Until it is, Yorgos Lanthimos' absurdist, bittersweet comedy will have to do. Colin Farrell plays David, a single guy looking for love or at least some form of resolution to his aloneness after his wife leaves him. After he checks into the hotel where one transformation or the other takes place — he has chosen a lobster as the creature he'll be turned into if he's not successful — David finds a kindred spirit (Rachel Weisz) among a group of rebels, but they have to keep their connection a secret or risk, well, you know.

'The Lobster' is getting raves. Arizona Republic film critic Bill Goodykoontz gave the movie 4 stars (out of 5): 'It sounds farcical but it's not, not underneath. Lanthimos makes statements about the nature of love and relationships and their place in society, and there are fewer statements more important than those.'

'The Lobster' is rated R for sexual content and some violence. It runs for 118 minutes.

'Love & Friendship'

As Jane Austen works go, 'Lady Susan' is something of a buried track. Believed written in the 1790s and revised in 1805, it wasn't actually published until 1871.

'Love & Friendship,' Whit Stillman's adaptation of Austen's story centers on the machinations of the young widow Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale), 'the most accomplished flirt in all England,' as she sets out to find husbands for herself and her daughter while escaping the glare of scandal at her in-laws' estate.

But soon enough, Lady Susan has turned her family's world upside down, and risked her own ruin in the bargain.

'Love & Friendship' has drawn nearly universal raves from critics alike. Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday gave it 31/2 stars: ''Love & Friendship' is such a thoroughgoing delight that it's tempting to riffle through Austen's other works to find something else for Stillman to make into a film. As adaptations go, this is a match made in heaven.'